How Postmarks Can Affect Stamp Values





Stamp cancellations can significantly affect the value of postmarked stamps. Stamp collectors who don't collect cancels usually prefer lightly cancelled stamps with postmarks on a corner or a small portion of the stamp, so that the stamp design isn't obscured. All other things being equal, lightly cancelled stamps are ordinarily more valuable than stamps with heavy or smeared postmarks.



But the presence of cancellations themselves may increase the value of stamps. Many unused stamps are more valuable than their used counterparts. An example is the British Penny Black, which has an unused value that's almost 20 times higher than the used value. But the opposite is true for some other stamps, such as the Germany hyperinflation stamps - these have a value that's much highe if they're postally used.



Some collectors are far more interested in the cancellations than the stamps. Those stamp collectors prefer bold, clearly struck and highly legible cancellations instead of the light postmarks preferred by other collectors. It's possible to specialize in cancel collecting: you can collect the cancellations of a particular country or city, different cancels on the same stamp issue, or a specific type of cancellations, such as fancy cancels.